I'm Here
by motherofyaoi
Summary: Yusuke Urameshi, Spirit Detective, street punk, the guy that kicks demons asses when needed. That's The Great Urameshi! Right? What do you mean it was all a lie! How? Can a fire demon really become a doctor? Yaoi. Yusuke xKuwabara
1. This Can't Be Real

Disclaimer: I own Nothing!

A/N: So I thought up this notion while sitting around one day. I proposed it to my sister as an "alternate ending" and she said she hated it. But I had to write it and make it a KuwaxYuu. Hope you like!

Summary 1: Yusuke Urameshi, Spirit Detective, street punk, the guy that kicks demons asses when needed. That's The Great Urameshi! Right? What do you mean it was all a lie?! How? Yaoi. YxK

Summary 2: After the initial shock of being in a coma wears off, Yusuke now must adapt and get used to his new life. Is that even possible? His best friend was now basically a stranger... And dating some creep… there has to be a way to stop this Kuwabara deserved to be with someone much better. Someone Great!

Warning! Yaoi! Please do not read if you don't like it. Also, strong language, drug use, physical abuse, implied sexual content, and character death! This will be a super fun story riddled with despair! No really its good, read it. No despair I promise! x

/

Chapter 1: This Can't Be Real

Yusuke had just returned from demon world, his friends met him on the beach near Genkai's, as the sun went down they laughed and played in the water.

"It's gotten kind of cold hasn't it?" Keiko shivered, her wet clothes clinging to her.

"Yes well the sun did set an hour ago." Botan smiled sheepishly.

"Too bad we didn't bring any towels..." Kuwabara rubbed the back of his head.

"What good would a towel do? We're soaked!" Yusuke rubbed his eye.

"Are you alright dear?" Botan questioned as Yusuke's vision blurred.

"Huh?" Keiko sounded a bit surprised. Yusuke could do nothing, say nothing, as everything around him darkened. His body felt heavy.

"…." He couldn't speak. Was there something in his throat? His vision was blurry. Focusing was a difficult task but he was certain there was someone sitting next to him. He seemed to be in a bed. What was that beeping noise?

"Oh, yes, I'm fine. I'm leaving tonight so I just wanted to say goodbye." Her voice quivered. Keiko was leaving? No... Where was she going? Why was saying goodbye? She turned back to him and stroked his hair. "I'm sorry Yusuke, you'll probably be angry with me…. But like I said, it's time I stop waiting and did something for me. So that's what I'm doing…" Her tears fell on his hand. The beeping increased. She looked up at the monitor and her eyes widened. "Yusuke? Nurse!" She called out but Yusuke couldn't hold out any longer, his vision faded once more.

/

Mumbling, beeping, shuffling… Why was everything so bright?

 _This is stupid… Why can't I move?_

"Hey, they said you came around for a few minutes." Kuwabara? His voice sounded different… Maybe a bit smoother? "If you can hear me in there, hurry up and come back. I've been waiting 2 years to kick your ass."

 _Ha!_ His body managed a small cough. _As if you could!_

"Shit…" Kuwabara's voice cracked. "You're really in there aren't you?" He sniffled and sobbed silently.

"Don't be foolish… He can't hear you." Hiei? "Just like he couldn't hear you when you came out to him."

"Tha—that was private!" Kuwabara shouted. Came out?

 _Came out of what? The closet-Holy shit….._ Yusuke's heartrate quickened.

/

"You're breathing on your own, remaining conscious for hours at a time, regaining movement bit by bit…" Botan looked at a chart as she spoke. "I must say your progress has been remarkable considering how long you've been asleep." She grinned at him. "Now then, can you tell me your name?"

"…." Yusuke's features became strained. He opened his mouth but only managed a few short coughs.

"Don't worry I'm sure you'll be back to having shouting matches with Kuwabara in no time." She wrote down a few things and replaced the chart at the foot of his bed.

 _They can't be serious…_ Yusuke watched as Kuwabara entered the room and started talking to the nurse. _I know these people… They're not doctors and nurses and patients… Botan is the bubbly grim reaper.. Kuwabara is… Well he's Kuwabara… and Hiei!_ Yusuke's eye twitched. _There's no way in hell I'd let that punk operate on me!_

"Hey, you're sitting up now huh?" Kuwabara grinned. A small nod in response. "So uh.. I know it's kinda awkward… and you can't really talk yet…" He rubbed the back of his neck.

Yusuke gave him a look that said: "Get on with it already…"

"Right…" The redhead inhaled deeply. "Do you remember me?" Yusuke scowled. "I mean... We weren't exactly close... Or even friends…" Kuwabara looked down.

 _That's right… That day I had pounded him into the pavement again…_ Yusuke's fingers clenched the sheets tightly as he remembered that day and the Kuwabara he dreamed about in his coma. _We're best friends… How can you tell me that wasn't real…_ he closed his eyes firmly. _How can it all have been a lie?!_

"Urameshi?" Kuwabara sounded concerned. Yusuke sighed but nodded. "It's ok if you don't..." He looked a bit down. Yusuke shook his head back and forth but the other couldn't see him. The dark haired man frowned and glared at him.

"Ngh…." Yusuke weakly grabbed the taller man by the collar and pulled him so close their noses were almost touching. Brown eyes met grey in a heated stare.

"Oh good, I was worried you forgot about me." Kuwabara laughed just like Yusuke remembered. He released him and slumped down on the bed. "You ok?"

"Tch…" Yusuke looked away as he laid the bed back.

"Yeah… this whole thing sucks…"

 _You have no freaking clue … I had awesome powers and fought demons…_

"Now, now, at least he's alive and finally awake." Yusuke recognized the voice of the fox.

"Hey, Shuichi!" Kuwabara grinned. The green eyed man smiled.

"Hello, we haven't been properly introduced... My name is Shuichi Minamino. My mother shared a room with you while she was ill."

 _Your name is Kurama…_ Yusuke blinked heavily but nodded at him.

"Where's Dr. Boyfriend? He hasn't come by to harass me today." Kuwabara asked. Kurama chuckled.

"I'm afraid he's off today… I'll tell him you said hi though."

 _Boyfriend? Why am I surrounded by gay people…?_

/

"Yusuke? Yusuke!" He was shaken. Yusuke groaned with a raspy voice and opened his eyes. "Oh thank goodness!" Atsuko hugged him tightly. "You wouldn't wake up… I thought…" She sniffled and wiped her eyes.

 _Well my dream got my mom spot on…_ He thought as he rolled his eyes.

"…. Alive…" He choked out.

/

"Don't over do it." Botan warned. "I realize you want to get back to normal as soon as possible but over exerting yourself could slow your recovery time even more."

"I used to be the toughest punk in town… Now I can't even piss by myself…" His voice was shaky and breathy. Botan gave him a pitiful look then went back to putting away the clean sheets and pillows she had brought.

"Hey Botan…" Yusuke stared at his hands. "I'm scared…"

"Don't worry! At the rate you're recovering you'll be out there punching heads in no time!" She beamed cheerfully but Yusuke shook his head.

"I'm scared that, right now… I might not be able to beat Kuwabara…."

"You!" She threw a pillow at him. "I was genuinely concerned but you're just fooling around!"

"Abusing the patients now, nurse..?" Hiei adjusted his glasses and glared at the blue-haired woman.

"Ah! No! Of course Not! My hand just slipped, that's all!" She forced a nervous laugh before excusing herself.

"Sup Hiei.."

"That's Dr. Higuchi to you… now, open." Hiei inspected inside his mouth and down his throat. "Pain or discomfort?" Yusuke shrugged.

"Same as before." He cleared his throat.

"Questions, complaints.." The doctor wrote things down on his clipboard.

"When can I eat a cheeseburger…" Said Yusuke with a bored look.

"When you can hold down a full bowl of rice porridge." Hiei stated firmly. "And stop trying to trick the buffoon into bringing you snacks." He said before he left the room.

 _I just can't get used to that…_ Yusuke laid back and closed his eyes.

/

"Come on, you can do it.." Yukina beamed at Yusuke who was attempting to use a walker to move across the room.

"Shit!" The hero fell to the floor.

"Are you alright?" She resisted the urge to help him up.

"Yeah… lost my footing.." He sat on the floor for a moment.

"You're doing really well. I think you'll be back to walking by yourself in no time." She smiled sweetly. "Why don't we rest right here for a moment?" She sat down with him.

"Why can't this be like a manga and I just wake up at full strength and pound Kuwabara's face into the pavement like nothings changed…" He ran his hand through his hair. Yukina giggled.

"You and Kuwabara seem close. He comes to see you at least three times a week."

"How long as he done that?" Yusuke wondered aloud.

"Since your accident I think." She handed him some water. "He would even help the nurses move you around and helped us keep your muscles from atrophying." A light blush covered her cheeks. "He's really a nice guy isn't he?"

"Yeah…" Yusuke looked away. Was Kuwabara a nice guy? Did he love kittens and live by an honor code like in his dream? Yusuke didn't know… He wanted it to be true but the reality was that the only Kuwabara that really existed was the punk that lost to Yusuke 156 times.

"Something on your mind?" Yukina offered a sympathetic ear.

"No. It's nothing… just.. Two years really is a long time huh?" He sighed but moved to get up again. "Ok. I gotta get back to full strength so I can beat that smug grin off of his ugly face!" Yukina smiled nervously at his motivation.

/

"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" Yusuke looked at the Red head arranging flowers.

"What do you mean?" Shuichi smiled.

"I mean you're only here to see Hiei so why do you gotta flirt in my room… go bang each other in the janitor closet.." He pressed buttons on a hand held game.

"Can't… We were caught a month ago now no one will let us alone.." Kurama sighed with a shrug, Yusuke stared in mild disbelief.

"Hey, Kur—Shuichi…. Do you like flowers? Or plants?"

"Hmm? Well I suppose so… I enjoy gardening, it helps clear my head." He explained.

"Mm…" He mashed some buttons.

"Why the sudden interest? All you've done is glare at me thus far." He turned toward the other.

"Just a dream I had.." Yusuke answered. "I can't seem to shake it.." He set down the game. "You're friends with Kuwabara and Keiko right?"

"Yes, my mother was brought to this room when she collapsed. I met your friends then." He sat next to him. "Kuwabara took a bit getting used to I'll admit… He's rather loud, and kept trying to pick a fight with you even though you were unconscious.." Yusuke chuckled.

"That's Kuwabara… Let me guess he kept calling me a coward and asking who he was supposed to fight?"

"How did you know? He said you two weren't all that close. That you were actually rivals."

"Tch, rivals is a bit much.." He crossed his arms. "He didn't stand a chance in hell of beating me." He grinned smugly. "To be honest… I guess I heard him.." The smugness faded, his arms fell lax. "I had this weird dream about everyone… It felt so real…" His soft frown turned into a hard scowl at the sheets of his bed.

"When you say everyone, you mean your friends and family?" Shuichi questioned to which Yusuke shook his head.

"You, Kuwabara, Keiko, Hiei, even Botan and Yukina…" He rubbed the back his neck. "There was even a cranky old hag and a kid with a pacifier that kept saying he was the one in charge."

"That would be Genkai and Koenma respectively."

"They're real people too?!" Yusuke yelled in surprise.

"Koenma has a chronic illness and is in and out of the hospital. When he's in pain he walks around biting something that looks a bit like a pacifier." Kurama explained. "Though I'm sure he'd be angry if you called it that. His family owns the building or hospital…" He waved a hand dismissively. "So he likes to order people around."

"What about Genkai? Is she as much a fighter as my dream made her out to be?"

"She was a fighter alright… sadly… she passed away about four months ago.."

"What?" Yusuke sounded shocked by the news. "I… I see.."

"Were you close? Keiko and Kuwabara didn't know her before you came here, to my understanding."

"No.. I… that dream just felt so real…" Yusuke sighed deeply. "I didn't really know her at all.."

"Well... In your dream, what was Shuichi like?" He sat down next to his bed.

"…." The dark haired man wasn't sure if he was comfortable telling him about the Kurama he befriended. "Well… you were… like you I guess? Pretty boy, smart, not big on fighting but you could kick ass when it was needed…" Yusuke scratched his head.

"Oh? Alright, so, in your dream how did we meet? Or did we already know one another?" Shuichi grinned like a fox.

"Well…" He rubbed the back of his neck. _Should probably leave out the bits about demons and spirit world…_ "Your mom was in the hospital… dying… so you found this thing that could save her, but only if you gave your life as payment…"

"Sounds like something out of an anime." He chuckled. "And?"

"You tried to give your life to save hers but I stopped you and convinced you it was stupid to give up your life just so your mom could spend hers crying over the death of her son." He recalled seeing his mother at his wake and trembled.

"I see… perhaps you heard my prayers while my mother was here." Yusuke gave him a questioning look. "I was rather desperate.. So when we were alone I may have prayed aloud." He scratched his cheek sheepishly.

"I get it, so I dreamed about what I heard while I was asleep." He realized.

"It certainly sounds that way." The other nodded.

/

"Hey, what are you doing up here?" Kuwabara asked as he walked out onto the rooftop.

"Went for a walk.." Yusuke shrugged. "You know, you don't have to come visit me everyday…" Kuwabara tried to hide the hurt that threatened to appear on his face. "I mean, don't you have a boyfriend or something?" The darker haired man turned to him. "He'll get jealous." Yusuke had started out with a smug grin but his face fell when he saw the swollen black eye of his friend.

"Yeah, I guess that's true." Kuwabara laughed loudly, just like the goofy friend from his dream.

"What happened?" Yusuke nodded in the other man's direction. "Didn't think you still fought punks in the streets."

"What this? Oh, it's nothing. Just forgot to dodge ya know?" He laughed heartily again but it sounded wrong to Yusuke. It made the hair on the back his neck stand on end.

"Yeah…." Yusuke sighed and rubbed the hairs down. He didn't really know this Kuwabara, so who was he to comment on his life...

"The view up here is really pretty when the sun sets." The carrot-top changed the subject. "I came up here a lot just after the accident.." He moved beside Urameshi, looking out over the city.

"Hey, Kuwabara…" Yusuke's voice was quiet and serious, making the taller man blush as the dark haired man once more turned, this time to face the same direction as his friend.

"Y-yeah, what's up Urameshi?"

"Do you think you can help me catch up on stuff?" Yusuke glowered at the city beneath them. "I didn't realize it at first, but I've missed a lot of crap… I've been trying to figure things out on my own but…"

"Uh, sure! I'll do what I can anyway!" He gave a small laugh. "You're pretty helpless with out Keiko to tell you what to do huh?" He teased.

"Yeah…" Yusuke groaned. "She bailed so now I gotta do my own math homework! Old man Tanaka keeps bringing me study guides in the hopes I can pass a test to get me out of middle school but I don't really wanna go back to school anyway." He folded his arms behind his head. "Maybe I'll just get a job as soon as I get outta here."

"Oh, that's right!" Kuwabara suddenly remembered. "How's your mom doing?"

"Good I guess?" Yusuke shrugged. "She says she's getting the house ready for me since they said I'll be discharged soon."

"Sweet! Me and the guys will stop by tomorrow and give her a hand." He gave the other a thumbs up.

"Sure, if she's not home just let your self in. Doubt anything's actually been done anyway."

"Kay. Wanna grab some dinner?" Kuwabara turned on his heel.

"Nah, I'm not really hungry…" Kuwabara didn't like the way Yusuke was looking at the pavement bellow them.

"You gotta eat something. You're not—"

"I'm not hungry." Yusuke affirmed.

"K… well… Let's go back to your room at least, it's getting cold." Yusuke clicked his tongue but followed the larger man.

/

"How are you feeling?" Yusuke shrugged as Hiei looked over him. "If everything goes well you'll be discharged in a few days. Usually people are more excited…"

"I don't… I don't really want to go home I guess…" He sighed laying back on the bed.

"Why is that?" Hiei glanced at the garbage bin, noting the uneaten food that had been discarded there.

"….." Yusuke remained silent. Hiei gave a small annoyed sigh and flipped through a few pages on his clip board.

"Do you feel safe at home?" He read the question like a robot.

"Seriously…" Yusuke gave him a look, to which Hiei clicked his pen.

"Protocol."

"Yes…" Yusuke groaned.

"Do you feel safe with your mother?"

"What kind of—" He stopped seeing Hiei's glare. "Yes."

"Do you feel safe being released into your mother's care…"

"Yes…" He rolled his eyes.

"Has your mother ever hit you, or verbally abused you in anyway…" Hiei sounded bored.

"This is stupid! What—"

"Answer the question, Detective." Yusuke blanched.

"Wh-what did you just…"

"Have you ever been the victim of abuse.." He repeated.

"N-no…" Yusuke felt a bead of sweat roll down his cheek.

"When is the last time you've eaten?" He scratched the area of his forehead that used to hold the jagan eye.

"Yesterday… lunch…" Yusuke nervously ran fingers through his hair.

"Right.." Hiei scribbled down a few things. "I've been your doctor for over two years… Now, I'm finally getting rid you… don't fuck this up for me…" Yusuke couldn't help but chuckle a bit by now knowing the doctor's crude sense of humor. "Eat your dinner tonight." Hiei stood and left.

/

"I told myself I wouldn't cry…" Botan sobbed. "Don't be a stranger ok? If you need anything at all just call, don't be afraid to stop by and say hi."

"No offense but I really don't wanna be back here anytime soon.." Yusuke chuckled.

"And we don't want you back… so get out of here." Hiei stated from behind him.

"Shit!" Yusuke jumped. "Don't sneak up on me like that." Hiei smirked, satisfied with the response. "I'm leaving now. Thanks for everything." It was one of those rare moments in his life where he actually meant it and bowed politely before leaving the hospital. His mother had taken his things and went home ahead of him at his request, Yusuke had insisted that he wanted to walk around to see how much, if any, things had changed.

He walked around the familiar city, stopped in the arcade, played a few games, rested at the park for a bit. Yusuke sighed aloud wondering where he should go next, it was starting to get dark and he knew his mother might worry, but he didn't want to go home…

"Hey, Urameshi!" Kuwabara called out and jogged up to him. "Hey, I've been looking everywhere for ya!" He grinned. "Your mom was worried you couldn't remember the way home so I told her I'd find ya." The redhead noticed the slightly dazed look in the other's eye. "Urameshi? You listening?" He waved a hand in front of the other's face.

"Huh? Oh, hey, Kuwabara, when'd you get here?" Yusuke yawned.

"You feeling ok?" Slate gray eyes stared down at the darker haired man.

"Yeah, just kinda tired…" He stretched.

"Well then let's get you home." Kuwabara smiled and threw his thumb over his shoulder.

"Nah, I think I'll hang out for a bit longer… wanna go see a movie?" He asked absently.

"A movie?! Urameshi, you just got out of the hospital. You should be taking it easy." Kuwabara watched as the other rolled his eyes and turned away. "You've been out all day. What have you been doing?"

"Nothing that concerns you…" Yusuke's mood turned fowl. "If you're just here to nag me then save it."

"Seriously, what's going on?" He grabbed his shoulder. "Talk to me."

"I can't go home okay?" He wrenched his himself away. "Just leave me alone."

"Why? Did you really forget how to get home?" Kuwabara questioned a bit surprised. "It's not a big deal I—"

"Idiot! That's not it!" Yusuke shouted and threw a punch at him. Of course Kuwabara was easily able to stop the weakened fist in its tracks. Glaring brown eyes welled with tears making the taller man blush slightly. "If I go home.. That means this is real..." The dark haired man confessed, his fist shaking.

"What?" Kazuma was understandably confused.

"Shit…" Yusuke ran a hand through his hair then stumbled back slightly.

"Hey!" Kuwabara caught him, pulling him close. "L-lets get something to eat and you can tell me what's going on." He suggested assuming the former(?) punk just needed to eat and rest a moment. Yusuke begrudgingly nodded.

"As long as you're paying." He added. The redhead smirked.

"Deal."

/

"So what's up? What did you mean by 'real'?" Kuwabara questioned while he ate his burger.

"Its weird… but I guess when I was asleep I could hear you guys." He took a drink. "Not all the time or anything but what I could hear was added to my dream…" He scratched his head.

"So you actually dreamt the whole time?"

"I guess." He shrugged. "I mean.. I knew it wasn't the same year when I woke up, or at least I didn't think it was.. I wasn't actually sure."

"What did you dream about? Beating the shit out of people?" He laughed.

"Basically." Yusuke ate some his burger. "Except it wasn't just people, we fought demons and ghosts too." He explained.

"What? Really?" Kuwabara gave him a surprised look. "Normal humans fighting demons? Sounds like an anime." He chuckled.

"Well, we weren't exactly normal…" He unwrapped a second burger. "We had powers and stuff. Hiei was a demon and Shuichi was possessed by a demon as a baby or something…" He took a bite. "He went by Kurama. I'm having a really hard time not calling him that still."

"Kurama? That sounds kinda cool, like a code name." Kuwabara ate a few fries. "So, you said we, does that mean I was in your dream too?"

"Yeah, you—" Yusuke paused looking a bit hurt. "We were best friends.." He set down his half eaten burger. "I've lived this entire life that never happened… and it's hard to deal with sometimes…"

"So it's like going home confirms that it wasn't real then?" Yusuke nodded. "Do you want it to be real?"

"I don't know… I mean.. It was real to me for so long... Like you—I know you." He emphasized making Kuwabara blush. "You have an honor code, you love cats, you see ghosts and you have terrible taste in music."

"Hey!" Kuwabara retorted.

"But the Kuwabara I know… well… He…" Yusuke shifted unsure of how to say it.

"He was straight…" The larger man gave him a knowing look. Once more he nodded. "Is it weird?" He asked cautiously.

"Not really.. Not as weird as I thought it would be." Yusuke shrugged. "You're still an idiot." Kuwabara stared flatly at him.

"Well I do love cats… I even have one-"

"Let me guess, her name is Eikichi?" He pointed a French fry at the other man who froze.

"Wow that is kinda freaky." He laughed. "But I guess I did tell you about her." He rubbed the back of his head.

"So your boyfriend…" Yusuke changed the subject making Kuwabara blush at both the subject and sudden change. "Is he stronger or weaker than you?"

"Wh-what kind of question is that?" He gave a nervous chuckle that seemed to irk the wanna-be detective.

"I'm trying to figure out which one of you would be bottom." He shrugged and took another bite of his burger.

"Wh—that's a preference! It has nothing to do with strength!" The red head shouted, blushing furiously. "And it's none of your business anyway!" Yusuke sniggered.

"Well I guess I got my answer." He laughed as his friend's face turned completely red.

"Damn it Urameshi!" He quickly stood and put Yusuke in a headlock, twisting his knuckle into his head.

/

"You remember how to get home right?" Kuwabara double checked.

"Yeah, yeah…" Yusuke waved him off as he turned around.

"Go straight home! Don't worry your mom anymore!" The taller man called out to him.

"Okay dad…" The shorter human rolled his eyes and shook his head but turned back toward him, walking backwards to keep on his path. "Hey." He got his attention. "Thanks." He gave him a thumbs up with a grin. Kuwabara reciprocated.

"Cheating on me isn't a good idea…" A shiver flew down the red head's spine. He turned to see a man with dark eyes and medium length dark brown hair step towards him. There were bags under his blood shot eyes.

"J-Jino… I wasn't!" He stammered. "That's Urameshi, the friend I told you about. He just got out of the hospital today—"

"Urameshi… the guy you said you had a crush on…" Kuwabara flinched and took a step back, instantly realizing he had made a mistake, he lowered his head.

"It's not like that." He stood as still he could as the other man's hand slammed into the back of his neck and gripped it firmly. He could feel his nails dig into his skin as the man pushed and pulled, making him sway to and fro.

"We'll see about that won't we…" He whispered in his ear and licked the lobe. Kuwabara winced and cursed mentally, eyeing the bottle in his free hand. Was this really just alcohol? No.. No, Kuwabara knew better…

/

"I'm home!" Yusuke announced, taking off his jacket.

"My boy!" Atsuko flung herself on him, making him topple and hit the floor.

"Jeez ma, you trying to send me back to the hospital?" He sat up rubbing his head.

"Sorry, I'm so happy you're finally home!" She sobbed into his shirt. Yusuke sighed and decided to sit for a while longer.

 _Maybe this won't be such a bad deal after all…_

/

A/N:

Chapter one complete.

Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know what you think!


	2. Weather Reports

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

A/N: Will it be a good thing? Will life end up sucking major ass? Lets find out…

/

Chapter 2: Weather Reports

"Sure, if that's what you want." Atsuko lit a cigarette and poured the two of them a cup of coffee.

"Really?" Yusuke sounded a bit surprised.

"Yeah. It's not like you were a great student anyway and Keiko isn't here to force you to study… so I agree, getting a job is probably the most beneficial thing for you to do right now. Frankly I'm impressed you're thinking about your future at all." She stated honestly.

"Wow, Mom, thanks the vote of confidence.." He slouched but took a sip.

"You've always hated school, and you can't exactly go back to being a street punk… besides, this will be good for you. Give your life meaning again." Yusuke groaned regretting telling his mother anything about his anxieties.

/

"So it's true then… the Great Urameshi has been reduced to bus boy." A familiar voice stated from behind the brown eyed man. He froze but then a wide grin spread across his cheeks as he turned to her.

"Keiko!" Yusuke wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

"Ah!" She dropped her bag, startled by the sudden embrace. "What are you—" she blushed.

"Nice ass." He groped. "It's gotten firmer hasn't it?"

"Yusuke you jerk!" She slapped him and he laughed gently. Tears welled in her eyes as she smiled and laughed as well.

/

"I can't believe you're working at my family's restaurant." Keiko giggled and ate a pot sticker.

"Yeah well your folks are the only people I knew that would hire me despite my reputation." He slurped down some noodles.

"I meant I can't believe my dad actually hired you." She gave him a look.

"What can I say, you're dad's a good guy." He laughed sheepishly.

"Yeah…" She stared into her soup. "He still held out hope.. Even though I had lost it…" She grimaced. "I'm sorry Yusuke." She sniffled, dripping tears into her bowl.

"Now… don't do that… you'll make it all salty.." Yusuke pointed out, Keiko gave a bitter chuckle. "Look, you don't gotta be sorry… it wasn't.. it was never my intention to make you wait…" he lifted her chin and wiped away the tears on her cheek.

"Oh Yusuke…" She continued to cry.

After he managed the impossible and calmed her down, they were able to do some catching up.

/

 _That was harder than I thought it'd be…_ He sighed leaning against a wall. _Maybe I'll hit the arcade…_ His knees gave way and he slumped against the building. _Damn it._ His bit his lip. His eyes stung. He closed them tightly, willing the tears not to form.

"Urameshi?" Kuwabara's voice rang through Yusuke's ears. "You ok?" His head snapped up to meet the taller man's gaze. Gray eyes widened at the smallest hint of wetness leaving those chocolate brown orbs.

"Y-yeah." He picked himself up. "Fine. I was just going to the arcade to blow off some steam." He sniffed and dusted off his pants.

"That's cool." He shoved his hands in his pockets and pretended not to notice. "Okay if I tag along?"

"Sure. I can still kick your ass there at least." He smirked.

"You got lucky last time!" Kazuma retorted.

/

"What?!" Kuwabara choked on his drink. "Keiko's getting married?!" He repeated. Yusuke nodded with a small scowl. "Aren't we all way too young to be getting married though?"

"She said it's all been approved by their families and they won't actually get hitched 'til they graduate." He elaborated. "… 'Sides… She seems pretty happy." The detective put his hands behind his head as they walked along the sidewalk.

"That's cool.." The red head wasn't sure what to make of the situation. Should he happy for Keiko or bummed for Yusuke? Would it be wrong of him to be excited at the prospect of his friend finally getting over her? Or was that selfish… Selfish to think maybe he… No. No, he had someone. Someone that was easily jealous- Someone that cared enough to be jealous. And besides…

"He's straight…" A hiss in his ear brought Kuwabara back to reality.

"J-Jino!" He flinched. "Hey, what are you doing here? I thought you had work today?"

Yusuke quirked an eyebrow at the two. He hadn't noticed when Kuwabara stopped walking but by the time he had, and turned around to look for him, he saw the tall, gloomy-looking man slither an arm over his friend's shoulder.

"They let me go home early." Jino smiled slyly. "I thought we could go for a date."

"Oh. Well—"

"It's ok Kuwabara." Yusuke assured. "We can catch up another time. Let me know when you're free and I'll see if Keiko can come too while she's here."

"Right, I'll message you later." He nodded. The three parted ways, Yusuke looked back once, glaring at the man that interrupted them.

 _Guess that's his boyfriend…_ Yusuke pondered as he walked away.

/

"He's creepy… I don't trust him…" Yusuke crossed his arms.

"You don't even know him." Keiko scolded. "You can't just judge someone's character before you've spent time with them." She helped him clear off a table.

"Hey, I am an excellent judge of character." He insisted but the brunette rolled her eyes. "Besides people used to judge me all the time!"

"Yes, and they were wrong about you." She pointed out. "No matter how often you tried to prove them right."

"I dunno, there's just something about him that rubs me the wrong way…" He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Are you going to work or just stand there and gossip while I do it all for you…" She placed her hands on her hips.

"Well if you're offering—"

"I'm not." She jeered. Yusuke chuckled and got back to work.

/

Yusuke glared at the man sitting diagonally across from him. Why was he there?! He didn't invite him!

"It occurs to me we've never been properly introduced." The man shifted in his seat. "I'm Kusakabe, Jino." He nodded his head slightly.

"Urameshi, Yusuke." He stated his own name.

"And I'm Yukimura, Keiko." She bowed her head gently. "It's nice to finally meet you." She smiled.

"You as well. Kazuchin's told me so much about you." That sly smile creeped along his lips. "You're the one that was in a coma for 2 years, yes?" He shifted attention to Yusuke who nodded and glanced to the oddly silent red head. Kuwabara seemed to avoid eye contact with his male friend.

"K-Keiko!" He changed the subject abruptly. "I hear you're getting married!"

"Oh! Yes!" She smiled with a blush. "He had unofficially proposed 6 months ago, then we made it official last month." She boasted.

"Unofficially proposed?" Yusuke questioned. "What does that even mean?"

"It means he's romantic, unlike some people I know…" She glared at him.

"Hey!" Yusuke sounded offended.

"Oh please.. You're idea of romance is a wrestling match, street vendor food and copping a feel…" She puffed her cheeks in a childish pout.

"What's wrong with that?" Kuwabara and Yusuke questioned in unison.

"This is why you don't plan dates…" Jino pointed out after their laughter died down.

/

 _Maybe he's not such a bad guy after all…_ Yusuke pondered when they parted ways.

"Hey Yusuke…" Keiko said softly as they walked back together.

"Hm?" Yusuke walked with his hands behind his head.

"…." She paused for a moment, her escort did as well.

"You ok?" He asked, concerned.

"Yeah.. It's just… Was it just me, or was there something off about Kusakabe-san…" She began walking again.

"You noticed it too huh?" He frowned. "When I was still in the hospital, Kuwabara came to see me once with a black eye… Normally I'd think nothing of it since he still acts like the same punk ass from 3 years ago.. But he told me before that him his friends had all stopped fighting and became cram school nerds."

"That does sound troubling…" She sighed. "Did you ask him about it?"

"I did." He scoffed. "All he said was that he forgot to duck."

"…"

/

"What the fuck are you doing here…?" Sharp eyes glared at Yusuke but his voice sounded more tired than annoyed.

"Calm down, Dr. Sadist, I'm just here for a delivery…" Yusuke held up a bag of food.

"Hn. You're a delivery boy…?" Hiei smirked readying witty remarks.

"No, this is a special case." He nodded towards the woman walking towards them.

"Thanks Yusuke." Keiko took the bag from him with a smile. "Oh, Dr. Higuchi." She noticed the shorter man. "It's been a while, how are you?"

"Fine." He nodded curtly. "I was worried this idiot had gotten lost and was going to help him look for his mommy." He allowed his lip to curl upon hearing Yusuke growl in annoyance. "What about you? Are studies going well?"

"Yes." The brunette giggled. "Well I better go eat so I can get back. I'll see you guys later."

"I should get going too." Yusuke turned, pausing to bid his farewell. "See ya Hiei." He resumed his movement.

"Detective." Hiei's voice pierced his brain like a knife. He froze, unsure if he had heard the word or if his mind was playing tricks on him. With out looking back he shook his head and marched forward.

/

Panting breathes, sweat, and reddened cheeks. This felt right. This was what he should be doing. Why hadn't he realized it sooner?

"Ngh!" He closed one eye.

 _No..! Just a little more! Almost—_

"Ah!" Yusuke fell to the ground. "Shit." He panted, curling into himself slightly. Wincing, he glanced down at his ankle. Swelling. He groaned and pulled out his phone. "I'll never hear the end of this." He told himself as he searched for the number.

/

"I cannot believe you!" Botan placed her hands on her hips. "It's only been six months and you're already here with injuries?!"

"Seven months." Yusuke corrected. "And I just twisted my ankle…" He rolled his eyes.

"What were doing out there in the rain anyway?" Kuwabara questioned.

"I told you before, I was running. I go for a run every morning and it wasn't raining when I started." He crossed his arms while Botan bandaged his ankle.

"Check the weather report before you go out, dumbass." Kuwabara rubbed a knuckle into his friends head.

"This is why I wasn't even gonna call you.. I could have just hobbled here." He glared, Kuwabara chuckled. "Man this sucks." He complained. "I almost reached my distance goal!"

/

"Ah! Jino-san!" Kuwabara frowned and turned away from the door. One more loud moan seeping through the cracks in the door frame sent him running down the stairs away from the apartment. It wasn't first time. No, and it wouldn't be the last either. Kuwabara knew this, as long as Jino was an addict, this would always happen. Kuwabara would always be hurt… one way or another…

So why? Why couldn't he say no? Why was it that he always forgave him? Why did he always agree to stay?

/

"Oh.. Hey, Kuwabara, what's up?" Yusuke noticed his friend in the alleyway getting soaked by the rain.

"Uh- Hey Urameshi." The taller man nodded to the other, hoping the rain had hidden the tears streaming down his cheeks. He wiped his face from the forehead down to avoid suspicion.

"You know I seem to remember something about rain in the weather report this morning.."

"Don't patronize me.." Kazuma scowled to which the raven haired man laughed.

"Come on, I just got off work." He held out his umbrella. Kuwabara looked away. Jino wouldn't- "I've got dinner too." Yusuke grinned when his redheaded friend flinched.

"Fine.. But only 'cause you look like you need help with that crutch." He gestured to the crutch Yusuke was using under his other arm. He took the umbrella and bag of food from him then walked along side him, holding the umbrella between them.

/

"Gonna tell me what happened?" Yusuke popped the tab of a can of soda and handed it to Kuwabara as he dried his hair. The clothes Yusuke had given him barely fit but they would do until his own were dry.

"What do you mean?" He feigned ignorance. Yusuke silently glared at him for a moment, a cold sweat made Kuwabara wonder if he should jump back in the shower. The silence was broken when Yusuke sighed.

"Sorry.. I guess it's still hard for me to separate you from the Kuwabara in my dream…" He looked down at his food and grimaced but then began to eat.

"…" Kuwabara stared into his bowl of ramen. "Jino…" He began, making Yusuke pause mid slurp. "He was with a woman…" His grip tightened around his chopsticks.

"What do you mean 'with a woman'?" Yusuke's eyebrows knitted together.

"I went to his apartment.. And could hear them outside..." A glance to the confused man across from him told him further explanation was required. "They were—uh..." He blushed and cleared his throat. "There was moaning." He stirred the ramen.

"O-oh…" Yusuke's face turned red. He wasn't expecting that. The former student was thinking he caught them on a date, maybe making out or fooling around….

"It's not the first time…" Kuwabara rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I was just stupid for believing him when he said it wouldn't happen anymore…" He gave a bitter chuckle.

"No." Yusuke retorted firmly. "He's a jackass for ever doing it in the first place." He slurped up more noodles. "Why are you still with this loser?"

"You wouldn't understand..." He clicked his tongue.

"Try me.."

"He likes me." He stated simply but sharply.

"So.. What? If I tell you I like you, you'll break up with him and date me?" Yusuke gave him a flat look.

"It's not that si—"

"I like you, go out with me." The raven haired man sounded a bit like a robot.

"Don't fuck with me Urameshi!" Kuwabara clenched his teeth and pounded a fist on the table.

"Why not?! At least you wouldn't be with *him* anymore!" Yusuke shouted back.

"You don't understand anything! You're straight! You can't-"

"You don't know that!" Yusuke face was flushed, either from the shouting, or from their conversation, not even he was sure.

"What?" Kuwabara questioned in surprise.

"You said it yourself… We hardly know each other, right?" He scratched his cheek. "And I'm not the same person I was before the coma.. So..."

"Th-that's what you're basing this off of? What do you think this is? Some manga or fan fiction? Things don't work out like that Urameshi!" Kuwabara trembled, he wanted so badly for Yusuke to wake from his slumber and end up in his arms but never believed it possible. Was this real? No.. It couldn't be.. He's just playing around. Or just wants to use him to test his sexuality… Loosing Keiko must have been a harder blow than he initially thought.

"Kuw—" He was stopped by Kuwabara roughly grabbing him and pushing him down on the couch. The larger man pressed his lips against the others forcing his tongue in. He could feel Yusuke pushing against his chest weakly so he grabbed his wrists and pinned them above his head.

"Mmmpphh" Yusuke protested and finally Kuwabara broke away from his lips. "What the hell?! Get off me you fuck!" He glared up at his friend, his head spinning. Fight or flight? Resist or submit? His chest tingled with an unfamiliar sensation. Was that a good feeling? Did he want more? He panted as he tried to sort his thoughts. His cheeks felt wet. He wasn't crying was he?!

"See?" Yusuke looked up into gray, watery eyes. Kuwabara's tears hit the cheeks of the man beneath him. "I told you, you can't…" His voice cracked, shaking, he let go of Yusuke's wrists.

"That's—"

"Please.." Kuwabara stood, holding a hand over his mouth. "No more…" He said and hurried for the door, wet clothes forgotten.

"Kuwabara, wait!" Yusuke called out to him but the door slammed as he left. "Shit.." He ran a hand through his hair and sat back down at the table. "What the hell am I doing…?"

/

A month had passed with out any sign of Kuwabara. If only Yusuke had taken more time to get to know him… Shizuru had slammed the door in his face when he tried the direct approach. Anyway, he thought Kuwabara had mentioned he lived in a dorm but what school did he attend?

Why was Yusuke so bad at asking the obvious details?!

During the day it was easy enough to keep busy, he had even gotten another part time job to keep his mind occupied and to make more money. But at night…

Kissing, sucking, chest, back, lips, neck. Fingers fumbling with buttons and belts, desperate to feel the skin that rarely sees the sun. Voices, whispers, quieted moans, all mixed with quickened breaths. Nipping, nibbling, biting, his teeth had left marks everywhere.

And finally… Yusuke bit his lip and closed his eyes.

"Haah…!" A shuddered, breathy gasp.

/

"Don't go picking through the trash Shuichi, you'll only find something undesirable…" Hiei scolded when Shuichi insisted they go down a garbage filled alleyway.

"My, my, what have we here?" He gave a fox-like grin. "I found Kuwabara."

"Exactly…" Hiei sighed. "Was he missing?" He was only mildly curious, watching as Kurama kicked the booted foot of the red head who was passed out, beaten senseless on a pile of trash.

"Yusuke said they had a fight and that Kuwabara wasn't talking to him." The flash of his camera phone lit up the scene briefly.

"When was this?" He leaned over the unconscious body, examining it.

"A few months ago I believe…" The green eyed man tapped his chin.

"Help me get him up." Hiei began pulling Kuwabara's arm up.

"What's this? I thought you didn't like Kuwabara." He helped as instructed.

"He's an idiot." Hiei spat. "But not even a dog deserves to be treated like this."

"So he's a dog now?" Kurama chuckled. "Where are we taking him?"

/

"Wha—Kuwabara?! What happened?!" Yusuke moved to allow them inside.

"Your room, where is it?" Hiei questioned sharply.

"This one." Yusuke jogged to his room and opened the door for them to lay the large man on the bed.

"Hn.. as I thought." Hiei crossed his arms after examining the unconscious man. "He's high…"

"High? I never took Kuwabara for the type…" Shuichi stated in surprise.

"He's not." The other two stated firmly.

"If I had to guess I would say it was likely forced on him…" Hiei continued. "Entry was here…" He pointed to the mark on the underside of Kuwabara's elbow. "But this large bruise here…" He gestured to the blackened shoulder of the redhead. "Indicates a struggle where he may have been pinned down…. Possibly by a knee…" Hiei seemed almost lost in thought as he spoke.

"What are you a detective?" Shuichi chuckled.

"I wasn't always the good doctor in a nice a clinic that you know…" Silence filled the room. Whatever Hiei had done before working at the hospital was a mystery, even to Kurama. He had never spoken of his past before. Was it okay to ask? The glare in the doctor's eyes told him it was not.

/

Yusuke sat in a chair next to his bed running over the instructions Hiei had given him one more time in his head. He looked down where the curly red head slept soundly, the bruises and cuts on his face and arms didn't seem to bother him. The dark haired man sighed and watched him with pity. He thought back to when Hiei and Kurama appeared at his door a few hours earlier.

"What the hell have you gotten yourself mixed up in….?" Yusuke inquired aloud. He yawned and leaned back against the chair. _Mom will be back soon.._ He thought, glancing at the clock. _How do I explain this?_ He closed his eyes and sighed quietly.

/

Mumbling. Maybe it was muttering? Was there a difference? Yusuke shifted uncomfortably. It had been a while since he had woken to people talking around him and he wasn't sure he wanted to wake just yet. For some reason it felt as if he had hardly slept.

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty." His mother called out to him. The smell of coffee in her off hand was the real reason her son cracked an eye open.

"Wha…" He pulled himself up with a curious gaze when he realized he was not in his bed. "Ah! Kuwabara!" He nearly gave himself whiplash turning his head to see the larger man sitting up in his bed, a smile on his tired face. _Thank God…_ Yusuke smiled. _The drugs must have worn off.._ He noted his friend's one good eye was blood shot with heavy bags underneath, the other eye was swollen and blackened.

"Here." Atsuko handed him a mug of hot liquid. "How about some breakfast?" She asked the man that was not her son.

"Oh! Uh- sure, thanks!" Kuwabara smiled broadly at the elder woman.

"Sure thing!" She grinned in response. "Yusuke, breakfast." She shoved a thumb toward the kitchen.

"What?!" He choked on his coffee. "How come I gotta make it?!"

"You've been learning from the Yukimura's right? You're probably way better than me by now." She insisted.

"Ma, I bus tables and take the trash out! The closest I get to the food is when I eat it." He protested.

"Man, really…" She pouted. "I thought you'd be able to cook dinner by now…" She sighed and made her way to the kitchen.

"….." Kuwabara shot him a knowing look from his mug of coffee.

"Hngh!" Yusuke looked shocked. "Alright, alright, I can cook some stuff but don't let her know that or she'll never let me out of the kitchen!" The two men laughed for a moment.

"I told your mom I was mugged." He rubbed the back of his neck. "She was worried I would drag you back into fighting and things like that…" For a moment Yusuke was silent, then he set his cup down on the floor.

"Hey, Kuwabara…" He said uncharacteristically gently and sat on the bed.

"Hm?" Kazuma cocked his head to the side inquisitively.

"I like you. Go out with me." Chocolate brown eyes stared unwavering into slate gray.

"Shit.. This again… You don't have to do this anymore Urameshi… I broke it off with Jino..." Kuwabara looked away.

"Y-you did?" Yusuke asked, shocked. "No. I mean, it's not like that I—"

"Breakfast!" Atsuko called from the dinning room. The taller male darted out of the room, eager to escape the situation.

"Damn it…" Yusuke decided to drop the subject, and instead, question him later on what happened to him. Unfortunately, the only thing Kuwabara was supposedly able to remember was walking back to the dorms from his parents' house, everything after that was either hazy or nothing.

Following that event, Kuwabara started dropping by more often. Yusuke was happy but still wanted to prove to Kuwabara that he was serious about dating him. But how…? Any time Yusuke had brought it up the red head's mood turned sour and he usually left in a huff.

/

A/N: What do you think? What will he do?


	3. Stalker

Disclaimer: I own nothing still

A/N:

/

Chapter 3: Stalker

"I like you, please go out with me." Yusuke asked for the billionth time.

"Uggghhh… Aren't you done with that crap yet?" Kuwabara groaned. "It's been months…" He mashed a few buttons on the arcade game. "I'm getting real tired of being fucked with…"

"I'm not fucking with you." The dark haired man stated adamantly. "I've been serious from the start." This statement received a glare from the grey eyed man.

"Okay… So, maybe I didn't really understand what everything entailed to begin with but…" He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"We've already been over this Urameshi. You can't." Kuwabara turned and walked away from him.

"But I *can*!" He urged. "God… Kuwabara, I never thought I'd be saying this again but.." He took a deep breath and clapped his hands together in front of his face, bowed his head slightly and closed his eyes. "Please, please, please just kiss me!"

The arcade seemed to stand still. Everything went silent as the people around them stopped to stare at the two men. Yusuke cracked open an eye to see the red face of his friend. Kuwabara shifted uncomfortably a few times before his brow knitted together in a scowl, his fists clenched, he clicked his tongue in annoyance. Yusuke's face broke out into a grin when the red head grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him close.

The moment their lips pressed together the crowd that had formed cheered them on. Kuwabara thought this would be over quickly, but he was wrong. Yusuke quickly slipped his tongue into the taller man's mouth, eliciting a gasp of surprise. Yusuke wrapped his arms around the other man's shoulders, intertwining his fingers behind his neck and deepened the kiss a bit more. Kuwabara instinctively placed his hands on the smaller man's hips. A moment later they parted for breath.

"See? I can do this." Yusuke smirked.

"There's more to it than just kissing.." Kuwabara grumbled, still not convinced.

"I can do that too." Yusuke reached up and nibbled on his ear. "Wanna test it out?" He whispered huskily in his ear.

"Wh—No! You can't just skip to that!" He separated himself from the other man.

"Tch.. Fine, have it your way..." Yusuke rolled his eyes playfully.

"So… You're serious? You want to try dating?" Kuwabara rubbed the back of his neck and glanced around. The crowd had already dispersed, interest lost after the initial kiss.

"'Course." Yusuke smirked. Kuwabara sighed and looked longingly at man he still had a crush on.

"Fine." He agreed. "Lets do it."

"Yes!" Yusuke pumped a fist in the air.

/

"Thanks Urameshi! You really saved my ass." Kuwabara held up the papers he had forgotten for one of his lectures.

"Hey, no sweat, that's what boyfriends are for right?" He flashed a smug, toothy, smirk and gave a thumbs up. Kuwabara blushed but nodded sheepishly. "Actually, I needed a reason to come see you anyway." He held out a bag. "It's my first time making it, so it might totally suck, but I wanted you to be the first to try it." Stunned, the redhead shakily took the bag from him. "Let me know what you think." He gave him a peck on the cheek. "I gotta go. Call me later k?" Yusuke started jogging down the street, turning around briefly to wave at the taller man.

"Wow, Kuwabara, you're new boyfriend is really affectionate isn't he…" Okubo scratched his pink tinted cheek.

"Y-Yeah…" He rubbed his own tingling cheek.

"Must be nice." Okubo smiled up at him knowing the relationships he'd had in the past. Kuwabara glanced away, his guilty conscious eating away at him.

"It- it really is nice…"

"But you're not happy..?" Okubo furrowed his brow.

"Its not that.. It's just…" Kazuma sighed and looked around then motioned for his still slightly plump friend to follow. Once they were in a location Kuwabara felt was safe enough he continued.

"We haven't done anything!" He groaned. "It's been a month since I agreed to go out with him and he said he could do it! But—" The red head's face dropped.

"You said he was straight before right?" The shorter man pointed out. "Maybe he's nervous? Or he wants you to take the lead?" He scratched his head.

"I can't… not after…" He covered his mouth with his hand, eyes glued to the floor, ashamed.

"Then… maybe he *can't*…" Okubo ran his fingers through his hair in thought. "Saying it, and actually doing it are two different things… If Urameshi went into this relationship only *hoping* he could then…" The chubby man clenched his fist. "Then he's just as bad as the others!"

"Okubo?" Kuwabara was surprised to hear his mild mannered friend act up like that. Even as a punk in his gang Okubo was never extraordinarily assertive.

"Ah- sorry.. I…" He released a ragged breath. "I just want you to be happy Kuwabara.." He turned and quickly started walking away. "Sorry, I should get to class."

"Wait—Okubo?"

/

"Oh, hey, Okubo right?" Yusuke greeted from a table he was cleaning. "I don't remember seeing you here before." He smiled at him.

"That's probably because I've never been here." He rubbed the back of his head and laughed. "I don't think we were ever properly introduced, other than maybe Kuwabara mentioning us before you beat him or us into the pavement."

"Yeah, sorry about that. If you came for a reminiscent rematch I'll have to decline. I'm not quite back to full strength yet." He balled a fist in front of him.

"No, no, nothing like that." Okubo assured with waving arms. The two laughed.

"Want something to eat? The place is pretty dead so it's on the house if you let me practice cooking your meal."

"Ok, sure. I'll have whatever you recommend." He watched Yusuke work for a moment. Okubo sighed. There was no other way than to just come out with it.

"Why won't you have sex with Kuwabara?" Yusuke dropped his pan.

"Shit!" He exclaimed and hurriedly cleaned up. "—the fuck?! You can't just—How do you know about that anyway?!"

"Kuwabara told me.." He craned his neck to see if Yusuke was alright. "After I coaxed it out of him anyway."

"How is it any of your business when I decide to fuck my boyfriend?" The growl in his voice, the intensity in his glaring eyes, the spine tingling flaring of his aura… It was all the way Okubo remembered. Even the grip he held on his shirt collar was the same, albeit a bit weaker.

"You haven't changed much in 3 years have you?" He raised an eyebrow as Yusuke's grip loosened.

"I guess not… Though…." He sighed and went back to making the food. "Forget it… If Kuwabara sent you then I've got nothing to say… If he doesn't know you're here then stay the fuck out of our love life…" Yusuke roughly placed the bowl in front of him.

"I just don't want to see Kuwabara suffer anymore.. He usually picks the worst guys to fall for and I'm tired of seeing him get hurt..." Okubo admitted. "If you can't bring yourself to have sex with him then quit dragging him along…" He started eating.

"So you're just a concerned friend…?" Yusuke watched him skeptically. The chubby man nodded with a smile, absent mindedly complimenting the food. "Its not that I don't want to." He admitted and rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, I'm a guy too ya know..?" The raven haired man groaned in aggravation.

"So, is both of you being guys—" Okubo was cut off.

"No. I'm just…" He sighed heavily in defeat. "Keiko said I wasn't romantic." He blushed and looked away. "And I didn't want Kuwabara to feel the same way… so I've been waiting for the right time…"

"The right time?" The other quirked an eyebrow as he finished his food. "Why are you worried about what an old girlfriend said?"

"She was never my girlfriend!" Yusuke retorted defensively. "Do you really think her parents would let her ex boyfriend work at their restaurant?"

"I guess not." Okubo chuckled. "You know, Urameshi, I never thought we'd be talking like this."

"Pretty sure most people didn't think I'd be talking at all." Yusuke cleaned up.

"Thats-"

"I think they all hoped you would never speak again." A small man with black hair and glasses entered the establishment.

"Hey, Hiei." The doctor's eye twitched at the lack of formality. "What's up?"

"You missed your appointment. And it's *Dr. Higuchi.*" Dr. Higuchi made his way over to Yusuke and yanked him down by his apron.

"Jeez, what's got your shorts in a bunch?" Yusuke questioned as Hiei shined a light in his eye.

"I guess I'll get going." Sweat ran down the side of Okubo's face.

"Yeah.. ah!" Yusuke replied but as soon as he opened his mouth the doctor shoved a light in it.

/

"Hey Urameshi?" Kuwabara looked up from his text book.

"Hm?" Yusuke acknowledged absently, his back against the taller man's, reading a manga.

"Something's been bothering me…" He admitted. Yusuke lulled his head back so it was resting against Kuwabara, that way the red head knew he was listening.

"It's just… you said *again*." He continued.

"Again?" Yusuke wrinkled his nose.

"You said you never thought you'd be saying *that* to me again." Kuwabara felt Yusuke sit up and turned to face him.

"Oh, that…" Yusuke scratched his nose. "Yeah…"

"You asked the other me to kiss you?" Kuwabara asked cocking his head to the side.

"There is no other you…" Yusuke grumbled. "It was just my dream…" He ran a hand through his hair. "It was this stupid thing... To bring me back to life I had to get someone that knew me to kiss me to—" He paused thinking about it. "-Transfer energy or something…" He sighed. "So, as a ghost, I had to convince either you, Keiko, or my mom to kiss me."

"Seems like you would have had better luck with Keiko or your mom..." Kuwabara quirked an eyebrow.

"You would think. But Ma went on one of her binges and I knew she wouldn't be home for days. Keiko would have been easy enough to convince. And I almost had her with the dream communication thing."

"Dream what?"

"Oh, right. As a ghost I could kind of talk to you guys in your dreams. I helped you study for a test that way once." He mused.

"So why wasn't Keiko convinced? Didn't you just tell her what was going on?" Kuwabara leaned back on his hands.

"It was a little more complicated then that… We sent you guys dreams of what needed to happen. You were completely weirded out by the crazy dream and Keiko's mom ended up being hospitalized so she was focused on that."

"Oh! I remember that happening. She over worked herself in the heatwave." A light bulb had went off in Kuwabara's head.

"Right. So I guess that really happened..." Yusuke blinked a few times then shook his head. "Anyway, things being like that, I found you and started begging you to kiss me. Actually I think that was in the arcade too."

"No way." Kuwabara laughed.

"Only I was a ghost and you couldn't hear or see me then."

"So this dream you sent me... Why was I so weirded out?" Kuwabara chuckled, really he was just hoping for a kiss. All this talk about it was making his lips tingle with anticipation. Yusuke smirked and crawled towards him, he mounted the taller man's hips, making Kuwabara lower himself to his elbows, then pushed him the rest of the way down while they made out.

The throaty moans Kuwabara made were irresistible and Yusuke throbbed with each one. The raven haired man licked and nipped up and down the other man's chest, after removing his shirt. His own shirt came off when Kuwabara began tugging at it in annoyance. The red head's rough fingers against his bare skin sent a shiver down his spine. Honestly this was all touch and go for Yusuke, he had watched porn but everyone knows reality is much different right? Right?

Yusuke cursed his body for trembling as they removed their pants and moved to the bed at Kuwabara's request. Switching positions, Kuwabara did things with his mouth and tongue that Yusuke had never even dreamed of. Literally, not once in the two years he was asleep did he dream of this. What was wrong with him?!

/

The two men kissed and panted heavily, smiling in the after glow. Yusuke pressed his lips to Kuwabara's forehead and sighed audibly.

"Well," Kuwabara snuggled into the pillow. "I can see how that would be a weird dream. But I would definitely revive you." He sniggered and watched as Yusuke's face changed from confusion to realization then finally to mirth.

"Wanna go again?" Yusuke smirked widely but was met with a pillow to the face.

/

Yusuke glared at his mailbox. He knew what to expect. It had been same thing since he started dating Kuwabara. A folded up paper with three sloppy letters written on it.

D.

I.

E.

He thought bullies only existed in schools, but here one was anonymously dropping off a letter urging Urameshi's life to come to a sudden end.

At first he didn't think much of it. As a punk, tons of people threatened him so why should he see this any different? The reason of course was simple. It was simple and it was currently standing behind Yusuke waiting for him to open the mailbox.

"Come on Urameshi, it's too hot to be out here any longer.." Kuwabara groaned. "Did you forget your mail key or something?"

"Wouldn't you know, that's exactly it." Yusuke shoved his hands, and keys, into his pockets. "Guess the mail will just have to wait."

"You serious?" He questioned in disbelief but sighed dramatically. "Well let's get inside and have some ice cream anyway." He scratched the back of his head.

"Sounds good." Yusuke chuckled and followed him inside.

/

Yusuke sat on his bed and stared at the paper that was left in his mailbox today. This one was different. Instead of just the word 'Die' this note had oozed animosity and included a picture of Kuwabara. Yusuke was confused. Were they threatening Kuwabara? Or him? Or threatening to hurt Kuwabara to get to him? He sighed aloud and laid back on the bed.

"Guess I can't skip out on training after all…" He lifted a hand and made a fist. _Almost there.._ He gave his hand a determined look. He had pushed his body as often as he could to get his strength back up to par with himself before the accident and on occasion had worried that it would all be for naught. What use was his strength to anyone anymore? Maybe he just needed a goal to work towards, maybe it *would* be useless in the end, that didn't matter… He wouldn't be able to live himself if he couldn't protect Kuwabara because he was weak…

/

Yusuke yawned. It was late… He had worked both jobs that day and was thoroughly exhausted. Though, the jobs themselves weren't all that difficult, the raven haired man had just been having difficulty sleeping lately. He grimaced at the thought of the notes. Ever since then they had all been similar, containing different, updated pictures of Kuwabara. In some of them, Yusuke even recognized the area in the background as places they had been the day before, or Kuwabara would be wearing the same clothing later that evening when they met up.

Someone was stalking Kuwabara and threatening Yusuke with it. What the hell did they want? What did they gain by doing this?

Yusuke felt a hand grab his shoulder. His hand made a fist and swung as he turned.

"Nngh! What the hell Urameshi?!" Kuwabara exclaimed and was nearly cross eyed staring at the fist that had stopped just before reaching his nose.

"K-Kuwabara?!" Yusuke questioned in surprise while retracting his fist. "What the hell are you doing here?" Not that he wasn't happy to see him, of course.

"One of the girls in my cram school asked me to walk her home. Apparently she's been having trouble with a stalker or something..." He scratched his suddenly itchy nose.

"Yeah those creeps seem to be everywhere…" Yusuke muttered.

"She lives around here so I thought I'd swing this way to see if I could catch you before you got off work. Guess we just missed each other." He chuckled with a big goofy grin.

"Guess so. You should have called or something. I would have waited." He threw his arms behind his head and began walking again.

"I did but there wasn't any answer." The redhead raised a brow.

"Seriously?" Yusuke took his phone out of his pocket. "Son of a bitch..." He stared at the notification. "Sorry about that. Guess I forgot to turn the volume up."

"It's alright." He shrugged. "You don't usually answer anyway. More importantly, what's got you so jumpy?"

"Oh. Nothing, just, I was spacing out and you surprised me was all." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Any way I can make it up to you?" He gave a small wince.

"I'm pretty sure I can think of a way..." Kuwabara gave a sly smile.

"I know just what you're thinking.." Yusuke smirked.

/

"This isn't exactly what I had in mind…" Yusuke boredly tapped his pencil eraser to the table. Instead of what he 'had in mind' Kuwabara had asked him to be his study buddy.

"Not everything can be solved with sex Urameshi…" Kuwabara rolled his eyes but did not look up from his text book.

"Why the hell not?" Yusuke huffed and crossed his arms.

"Because then I wouldn't need to study," Yusuke nearly interjected with something like 'see better for everyone!' but Kuwabara continued before he was able. "I could just have sex with my teacher and be graded based on that."

"….."

"Urameshi?" Kuwabara tore his gaze away from his book to look at his boyfriend who had gone rather silent.

"Shut up, I'm trying to figure out if you answered this shit right..." Yusuke was comparing the text of the book to the writing on the paper. The red head chuckled and resumed his studying.

/

Of course Yusuke had one suspect in mind for this stalker who was threatening him… or Kuwabara…( he still wasn't clear on that. ) And that was, of course, Jino, Kuwabara's ex-lover. Some of the pictures looked as if Kuwabara was aware they were being taken, or at least, was looking at the person taking them. Urameshi wasn't sure if the pictures were just older ones or if the redhead really was still in contact with the worm…

His nostrils flared as he punched the bag of sand. _Damn it…_ How was he supposed to ask a stupid question like that with out completely crushing their relationship?

" _Hey Kuwabara, do you still hang out with your ex?"_ Yusuke imagined the conversation starting.

" _What the fuck Urameshi? You really think I'm that stupid?!"_ He imagined the redhead flipping him off. _"Or maybe you just don't trust me!"_

"Shit!" Yusuke pounded the bag a few times before giving it a round-house kick. "This doesn't even go well in my friggin head! So how am I supposed to figure anything out?!" He shouted at the punching bag.

/

"You ok Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked tentatively.

"Hmm?" Yusuke absently moved his head in the direction of his lover's voice with out taking his eyes off his manga.

"You've been staring at the same page for 20 minutes…" Kazuma cocked an eyebrow.

"Shit…" Yusuke chucked the book across the room in aggravation.

"What's up?" Kuwabara asked unflinching. He moved to his dorm room bed where Yusuke had been lounging.

"Nothing…" He glared, though Kuwabara recognized it as a pout. The red head rested his noggin in the other's lap. Yusuke sighed sadly and began running his fingers through the curly tresses.

"You can talk to me you know..?" Kuwabara closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling. Yusuke was glad he had closed his eyes, his own stung with tears he hadn't known were there. He suppressed a sob and did his best to stifle the sniffling from his nose.

"I love you, Kuwabara." He said shakily, gulping down another sob before it could escape his throat. This emotional sneak attack was not going to get the better of him tonight! His stress was high and be it paranoia or a sixth sense Yusuke *knew* something bad was going to happen and *soon*.

Kuwabara froze for a moment. The L word?! _D-did Urameshi just—_ carefully he cracked an eye open to look into the earnest chocolate brown eyes of the man he had been dating for the last four months. Were those tears? _Shit…_ Kuwabara forced the gap between them closed and kissed the other man heatedly.

"Mmm.. Love you too Urameshi…" He nibbled the others bottom lip as they parted. During their make out session Kuwabara had straddled Yusuke, taken his own shirt off and was currently trying to get Yusuke's off. Why did he have to dress in layers?!

"What about your room mate?" Yusuke glanced to the bed on the other side of the room.

"Don't worry about him, he—"

"Just walked in the room." A chill ran down Yusuke's spine. He knew that voice.

"Toya?!" He asked incredulously before turning to see the cold glare of none other.

"Do I know you?" Toya scowled at the man who had yet to adjust himself.

"Oh, uh, I guess not." Yusuke shook his head still in shock.

"Um, this is Urameshi." Kuwabara introduced once his shirt was back on. "Urameshi, this is Toya, though you somehow already knew that…" The red head looked between the two suspiciously.

"It's... Like Kurama…" Yusuke explained rubbing his cheek. Kuwabara raised an eyebrow in query but turned his attention back to his room mate.

"Sorry Toya, I'll make it up to you." Kuwabara apologized, hands clapped in front of his face.

"Tch… forget it. I'll stay at Jin's tonight." He quickly grabbed a bag from his bed and left before Kuwabara could protest.

"If he was gonna leave anyway he didn't have to ruin the mood…" Yusuke crossed his arms.

"How shameless are you?" Kuwabara chuckled and returned to the bed.

"Why don't we find out?" Yusuke smirked and resumed stripping his own shirt.

"How?" Slate gray orbs trailed the now toned features of his lover. He licked his lips unconsciously.

"Let's see how long it takes before your neighbors start complaining." The raven haired man grinned excitedly and tackled Kuwabara to the bed.

/

A/N: rawr...


	4. The Great Urameshi

Disclaimer: I own nothing of course.

A/N: WARNING: this chapter contains content that may not be suitable for children. Reader discretion is advised.

/

Chapter 4 The Great Urameshi

"Ugh… How is it already 4 am?" Kuwabara groaned tiredly but didn't move.

"Shit..." Yusuke breathed a small sigh. "Can you even move?"

"If I had to..." He yawned and closed his eyes. "Like if the building was fire…" A gentle moan and his head lulled to the side on his pillow. Yusuke chuckled and moved some strands of red hair out of his face.

"Sorry about that…" He watched the other sleep. "But thanks for the distraction." He moved closer to Kuwabara and wrapped his arms around him.

/

"Hey Okubo!" He waved down the heavy set friend of his boyfriend.

"H-hey, Urameshi." Okubo was surprised to see him.

"You seen Kuwabara around?" Yusuke asked, glancing around, expecting to spot the red head. "I haven't been able to reach him all day."

"What did you do?" Okubo gave him a skeptical look.

"What?" Yusuke nearly shouted. "I didn't do anything!" He said defensively. "We haven't been able to get together for a few days so I was tryinna get ahold of him to see if I could swing by and at least make dinner for him or something…" He rubbed the back of his neck, a blush on his cheeks.

"I see." Okubo laughed gently. "I haven't seen Kuwabara today. Maybe he's sick?"

"Guess I'll check his dorm then." Yusuke sighed.

"Mind if I tag along? I have the class work from today for him." Okubo revealed.

"Why didn't you say that from the start?" Yusuke snapped and started towards the dorms. If Okubo had his worksheets from class that meant his love hadn't been school at all that day…

/

"Sorry, Kuwabara hasn't been back since last night. I thought he was with you." Toya's brow furrowed ever so slightly.

"Mayb' he wen' 'ome." Jin offered from further inside the dorm room. "Ya know 'ow 'e 'gets 'bout tha' cat o' his." He said with a mouth full of chips.

"You *could* stop shoving food in your mouth for 5 seconds to say that properly…" Toya pinched the bridge of his nose. Jin giggled and shoved his hand into the bag.

"It's ok. We'll check there now and let you know." Yusuke resisted the urge to play with Jin. He seemed like the same old playful spirit from the dark tournament in his dream. Hopefully that was true, but there would be time for that later.

 _Kuwabara…._

 _If he's at home playing with his fucking cat I'll kill him…_

/

"Oh, hey Okubo." Shizuru greeted the shorter man first. "And you're the one from that one time…" She stared at Yusuke. "Sorry about that, I was having a bad day, didn't mean to take it out on you." She invited them in.

"Sure." Yusuke cautiously proceeded while Okubo made himself at home.

"Anee-chan, is Kazuma here?" The husky one took the lead this time.

"Kazuma?" She sounded surprised, bringing them drinks and snacks. "He hasn't been home since the weekend before last."

"Shit." Yusuke secretly wished Kuwabara *had* been here playing with Eikichi. He hoped he would find him on the couch or the bed asleep, with the cat curled up on his stomach resting peacefully with him. But no, Eikichi was there, prancing across the floor like the back stabbing, betraying, wench of a feline she was. No. No. It wasn't her fault…. He picked the cat up by the scruff of her neck.

"You're a lot bigger than I remember." He mused absently, thinking of where to look next while Okubo explained the situation to the elder Kuwabara sibling. After deciding to check the places Kuwabara usually hangs out Yusuke and Okubo excused themselves.

/

"Mind if we stop at my place?" Yusuke shoved a thumb in the direction of his abode. "I gotta get my mail."

"Mail?" Okubo looked at him quizzically. "You really think now's a great time for that?" He was starting to get worried about his missing friend, and now they had worried Shizuru as well.

"I know, just… trust me.." Yusuke lead him to his mail box. Okubo watched as the other man's hand trembled nervously while unlocking the door.

"Urameshi?" He asked when Yusuke froze after opening it. Glancing inside the mailbox he saw a DVD with a picture of Kuwabara on the front. The picture was like something you would see at a funeral service. "What's this?" He took it out.

"Come on." Yusuke brought him to his apartment then straight to his room and locked the door. "I've been getting these letters…" Yusuke began, digging out a box from his closet. "At first I was just throwing them away 'cause I didn't think anything of them.." He opened the box and showed them to Okubo. "But then they got creepy and had pictures of Kuwabara…"

"Did you tell Kuwabara? Or the Police?" Okubo asked as he looked through the notes and pictures with an uncharacteristic scowl.

"Everything was anonymous and didn't directly threaten anyone… The police can't do anything with that…" He scratched his head. "And I wanted to tell Kuwabara but he's got a lot on his plate with exams and I didn't want to freak him out if this was just some stupid prank…"

"Let's watch the video." Okubo held it up. Yusuke nodded and was thankful he had his own money to buy things for his room. He popped the DVD in the player and paled at the scene that unfolded.

/

"Smile Kazuchiin! You're beloved is watching!" A maniacal giggle was heard off camera. A beaten, exhausted, naked, bound, and *sticky* Kuwabara was shown on the screen. He groaned wearily, head lulling to one side.

"You know it really is the damnedest thing. I went away for a while and come back to find *my* Kazuchiin in the arms of another man!" Kuwabara was kicked hard in the stomach.

"I was willing to forgive you at first. I mean you had this ridiculous obsession over a dead guy! If I can look past that right? But wait! The fucker came back to life!" He laughed and stomped on Kuwabara.

"Yusuke Urameshi." He panted out. "You should have stayed dead." He growled as Kuwabara coughed up blood. "None of this would have happened…" The camera zoomed in on Kuwabara's face. The red head's pupils were so dilated that he was likely mostly blind in the bright light of the room.

"Say goodbye to Urameshi, Kazuchiin." Only parts of another face came into view of the camera to show the other man licking Kuwabara's cheek. Kuwabara whimpered, tears fell from his eyes. He couldn't speak but he understood enough.

/

"Kuwa….bara…" Yusuke's eyes glistened with tears that refused to form.

Okubo was surprised to see Yusuke shake with rage and pain. He felt pity for him, however strong Yusuke was there was nothing they could do if they couldn't find-

"Urameshi!" He exclaimed suddenly. "I know where they are!"

/

Yusuke kicked down the door to the small house Okubo had given him directions to. According to Okubo, Jino had invited Kuwabara to a party there when they first began dating, Okubo had tagged along because he had just been dumped and Kuwabara had hoped a party would cheer him up. One of the paintings in that little, since abandoned, house really stood out to Okubo and that same painting had been in the video.

"Kuwabara!" He called into the empty dusty house. What he wouldn't give for some psychic senses right now… A shifting noise from the right caught his attention and moved in the direction.

"Well, well look what the cat dragged in." Jino chuckled. "Why are you here?"

"Don't play dumb with me, where's Kuwabara?" Yusuke's teeth clenched and fists balled tightly.

"HhnnGgHh!" Kuwabara's muffled voice rang through out the abandoned house.

"He's enjoying himself with some new friends." Jino sneered.

"You sick fuck." Yusuke charged the other man.

/

Okubo ran as quickly as his legs would carry him. Unfortunately Yusuke was quite a bit faster… He paused to catch his breath and pulled out his phone to preemptively call the authorities. Hopefully he could make it there in time to stop Yusuke from killing the creep that kidnapped, drugged, beat and raped his friend.

/

Their fighting had continued, both men bruised and bleeding from the wounds inflicted by one another. Jino threw some dirt in Yusuke's eyes making him pause to attend to them. At this moment the creepy taller man swung one of his long legs out, connecting with Yusuke's stomach. Urameshi fell to his knees but quickly stood once more. Where had Jino gone…

"You should have stayed dead!" A lead pipe came down hard on the back of Yusuke's head. The impact made him stumble but through sheer willpower he remained standing.

"That. *Hurt*." Yusuke leered, blood running down the side of his face where his head was struck.

"Wh-what the hell?" Jino quivered, swinging the pipe furiously in a panic. "What are you? Some kind of Demon?"

"Nah, that was just a dream." He did his best to smirk smugly while avoiding or blocking the pipe. "I'm just the Great Urameshi." He saw his opening and swung his fist with all of the energy he could muster. For a moment everything went black. Yusuke fell to his knees and vision his came back. He could hear sirens in the distance.

"Kuwa..bara…" He forced himself up. _Where is he…?_ _Damn it._ He held onto a wall hoping to stop the room from moving so much; it was very disorienting. Two men ran passed him, nearly tripping over their own pants.

"Shit…" He followed their path backwards down the hall, into a room. "Ku-Kuwabara!" Yusuke exclaimed when he saw him. He quickly hobbled to him, trembling as he reached out to his lover who was bound to a bed. "Kuwabara, look at me." He gently brushed some hair out of his lovers face.

It was around this time the police and emergency services arrived. Yusuke tried to explain their situation but only got about half way through his statement when darkness consumed him. The rest would be left to Okubo for now.

/

A/N: So short!


	5. Headaches

Disclaimer: I own nothing, obviously…

/

Chapter 5 Headaches

"My head…" Yusuke groaned, reaching up to cradle his throbbing crown.

"Mmm..?" Atsuko sleepily rubbed her eye. She had been sleeping against the hospital bed Yusuke was in.

"Hey Ma, I'm back." He greeted with a small smile.

"You're such a stupid boy you know that?" She wiped some tears away from her eyes and punched his arm.

"Hey, I'm injured here." He protested half heartedly. "How's Kuwabara?"

"I'm not sure…" She looked sad and shook her head. "Yusuke, what happened?"

"It's a long story…" He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Son, your vocabulary consists of what… 40 words? How long could it actually be?" She teased.

"Ma!" He laughed and winced when action caused his ribs to hurt. "Well.. First, I guess I should say…" He swallowed hard, nervous for some reason. "I… I love him, Mom.." Atsuko paused, momentarily shocked by the sincerity of his words but then nodded for him to continue. Yusuke told her of the events that led up to his current stay in the hospital.

/

"I thought I told you not to fuck this up for me…" Hiei glared as he examined the raven haired teen.

"Consider yourself fucked." Yusuke grinned. "What's with those guys?" He nodded to the men standing outside his door.

"Detectives." The word made Yusuke shudder. "They want to ask you some questions. I told them they had to wait until I examined you. Open." He inspected the inside of his mouth.

"I'm surprised they weren't here when I woke up."

"They wanted to be. But the police department knows better than to refute me." He wrote on a clipboard. Yusuke couldn't help but snigger.

/

"Hey tiger." Yusuke smiled down at Kuwabara who was just waking up.

"Urameshi? Are you allowed to be here?" He tried to sit up slightly but regretted it.

"Idiot, don't move." Yusuke leaned in and kissed his lips softly. "And don't ask stupid questions." He smiled as he sat in a chair next to the bed. "How are you holding up?"

"Now who's asking stupid questions.." Kuwabara scoffed. "I don't remember much…" He sighed. "Okubo filled me on most of it though…"

"Did those detectives already talk to you?" Yusuke asked, holding his hand.

"Yeah… What's gonna happen now?" Kuwabara questioned worriedly.

"Hopefully…" Yusuke squeezed the other man's hand. "They'll put creepy away and we'll never hear from him again."

"That would be nice..." Kuwabara sighed deeply nearly clutching Yusuke's hand. "I'm sorry Urameshi.." He sniffled and hid his face with his other arm.

"Hey…" Yusuke stood again and pulled his arm away. "I'm sorry too… but that doesn't matter anymore." He pressed his forehead against Kuwabara's and looked him in the eye.

"I'm here for you. Got it?" His eyes were intense and Kuwabara gave a gentle nod. "But that means I need you here for me too ok?" The intensity turned to a gentleness, a vulnerability Kazuma hadn't seen before. He nodded once more.

"I'm here." Kuwabara's voice shook. "No more secrets." He added. They had both kept important things from one another and it ended up like this… Yusuke with the notes and Kuwabara *had* in fact kept in contact with his ex, even if it was just an occasional meeting at school.

"Yeah." He kissed him once more. "I know you're tired, but, mind if I hang out a little while longer though?" He didn't want to leave his lover's side just yet.

"Sure.." Kuwabara definitely was sleepy… and itchy… "Hey Urameshi…" He blinked slowly.

"Yeah?" Yusuke tried not to laugh at the dopey looking red head.

"Thanks for saving me." Yusuke's mirthful smile turned soft.

"I'll always save you…" He ran his fingers through red hair until Kuwabara fell asleep.

/

"I said kiss me damn it!" Yusuke had Kuwabara pinned to the bed, the larger man's lips tightly pressed shut as he shook his head. Yusuke's eye twitched menacingly. Kuwabara's lips had been chapped lately, so he was buying chap stick for them. Only the last time he picked it up he accidently got a red cherry flavored lip balm that made his lips all shiny.

Kuwabara was embarrassed, of course. The lip balm worked like chap stick to keep his lips from drying out but he was a man! Manly men don't have super shiny lips! Of course as soon as Yusuke found out he wanted a taste. And it *had* to be from Kuwabara's lips!

You know, this would have been kind of cute, if it hadn't been so God damned embarrassing!

"Hah-ah!" Kuwabara gasped when Yusuke groped him from the front of his pants.

"Gotcha!" Yusuke's lips crashed into his and they shared a heated kiss, briefly forgetting about the reason for their predicament.

"That's cheating Urameshi." Kuwabara retorted with a pout.

"Only if I don't take responsibility right?" He started nibbling a trail down his neck.

"Mmmnnn…" Kuwabara bit his lip and closed his eyes.

/

Yusuke groaned miserably. Kazuma chuckled, replacing the patch on his forehead while taking his temperature.

"Suck it, asshole…" Yusuke glared, his voice hoarse then coughed loudly.

"Let's save the sucking for when you're feeling better." He kissed his cheek. "You sure you'll be ok by yourself?" Kuwabara ran his fingers through Yusuke's hair. The slightly shorter man nodded weakly, closing his eyes.

"Your mom said she'd be by later to give you some porridge." He gathered his things for school. Yusuke cracked an eye open to give his lover a look. "Don't worry." Kuwabara chuckled. "I made it, it's on the stove, just needs to be warmed up when you're ready to eat."

Yusuke relaxed, closing his eyes once more. He vaguely recognized the sound of the door opening and closing. That voice … it wasn't his mother… but it couldn't be..

"Kuwabara?" He found it difficult to open his eyes, his breathing labored and his face felt like it was melting.

"Hey." Kuwabara spoke softly but his voice boomed in Yusuke's ears making him wince. "Finally awake? Ready to eat something?" Yusuke rolled to his side and closed his eyes again. He shivered but Kuwabara's chilled fingers felt great against his cheek.

/

"I feel like crap…" Yusuke coughed into the mask around his mouth and nose as they walked down the street.

"I told you we could have come a different day.." Kuwabara stated, eyeing him worriedly.

"They might not have them anymore if we waited right?"

"Yeah but-"

"Let's just hurry and get this over with… my head is killing me…" Kuwabara felt bad for him but knew he was right.

They had recently started looking at apartments to rent together once Kuwabara started attending university. The prospect of having a whole place to themselves was exciting for more than just a few reasons and Yusuke wanted it to happen sooner rather than later. Honestly, he was overjoyed that they found a complex so quickly with in their price range, his sour mood was solely due to the flu he was still getting over.

/

"We only have a few 2 bedroom units with in your price range." The lady typed in a few things on her computer.

"We don't need 2 bedrooms…" Yusuke coughed.

"Oh.. I see." Her face turned a light shade of red. "In that case there's a few options for you."

"Way to be subtle man…" Kuwabara smacked his forehead with his palm.

"What's there to be embarrassed about?!" Yusuke questioned in an annoyed tone.

"Urameshi!" Kuwabara scolded.

"No. He's right. It was rude of me to assume." She apologized. "If you'd like we can go ahead and look at them now?" Kuwabara nodded vigorously.

For the next hour they looked at the different units scattered about the complex. Each one was slightly different in that it faced a different direction, was on a different floor or was more spacious than another. Kuwabara noted how oddly silent Yusuke had been, only coughing intermittently or clearing his throat, he was concerned his lover's illness was getting the better of him but he was being too stubborn to admit it. Kuwabara silently intertwined their pinky fingers as they listened to the lady sell the last room she had to show them.

That small touch sent a powerful shock through Yusuke's system. A chill ran down his spine, his vision blurred momentarily a sharp stabbing pain ripped through his skull. Outwardly he winced though it had taken everything he had not to fall to his knees.

Brown eyes widened slightly and he looked around slowly as to not draw attention. _Where are we?_ He looked at Kuwabara who was asking questions about the property. Unraveling his finger from his boyfriend's, he looked at his phone for the time.

 _It's been an hour? Where the hell have I been for an hour?_ The thought that he had been on autopilot for an hour and no one had noticed made him shudder. Was this just from the flu? Was this first time it had happened? He glared at the floor for not giving him answers.

"Why does wearing a face mask make you look even more like a thug…" Kuwabara mused when the woman walked away.

"Why does your hair look like someone gave you a swirly…" He jeered.

"Damn you're crabby when you're sick…" Kuwabara crossed his arms.

"Sorry…" Yusuke adjusted his mask. "I just feel like shit..." He pressed the top of his head into Kuwabara's chest. "I shouldn't take it out on you.." Kuwabara sighed and ran his fingers through black hair.

"You're also cuddly when you're sick." He chuckled. "What do you think? Did you like any of them?"

Did he?

"I uh…" Yusuke moved away and rubbed the back of his neck.

"You haven't been paying any attention at all have you…" Kuwabara gave him a look.

"None." Yusuke hacked.

/

A few weeks later, Kuwabara and Yusuke moved into their first apartment.

/

 _He's doing it again…_ Kuwabara observed as Yusuke sat uncharacteristically still and eerily quiet. He had only seen it happen a few times in the two months that they had been living together but it was starting to creep him out.

So far the events only lasted about 15 minutes to half an hour. During that time Yusuke would stop whatever he was doing and completely space out. Usually, Yusuke was almost always moving, even sitting watching tv he would fidget in someway.

Sometimes that was simply snacking or playing a game on his phone or hand held while only half paying attention to the screen. Most of the time, his fidgeting involved him touching Kuwabara. It was an unexpected and pleasantly surprising fact he had uncovered. Yusuke would lay on or against him and rub, massage, or draw indiscernible shapes into various areas of the larger man. If not that, then he was playing with Kuwabara's hair. The redhead often mused about how very cat-like his actions were, almost as if he were kneading into him or vying for attention.

"Ngh!" Yusuke snapped out of it, cradling his head in his hand.

"You ok?" Kazuma asked worriedly.

"Yeah… just a headache…" He rubbed his forehead. "Sorry, was I spacing out again?"

"Yeah." Kuwabara adjusted himself when Yusuke nearly threw himself on top of him.

"My head…" He moaned, pressing his face into his lover's chest. The redhead used his fingers to gently brush the other man's hair and massage his aching skull. Yusuke made a series of little noises before falling asleep against him.

"Stupid…" Kuwabara chuckled quietly but found his own eyes growing heavier by the second and soon followed his love to dreamland.

/

It was one of those mornings… the mornings where Kuwabara wondered who had kidnapped his boyfriend and replaced him with a pig. The red head sighed exasperated as he picked up dirty clothes off of the floor.

 _If he was running late why did he go for a run to begin with…_ He wondered, knowing exactly what his lover had done. The mess from the door to the bathroom was sweaty running clothes that were stripped in a hurry to take a shower. From there, wet towels littered their hall and bedroom floor. Their closet and drawers were ransacked as Yusuke had ripped things off hangers and yanked socks and underwear out of the drawers.

After picking up the laundry and tidying their bedroom, Kazuma made his way to the kitchen, where he expected the next disaster to be.

And he was correct.

"I *can* cook for myself ya know…" He eyed the lunch box left on the counter but smiled and shook his head hopelessly. "Let's get started…" He rolled up his sleeves and began cleaning the large garbage bin he once called a kitchen.

/

"I'm back." The Great Urameshi called as he entered the apartment. "Oh, you cleaned up. Thanks." He smiled and kissed Kuwabara's cheek. "How did your study thing go?"

"Toya tried to keep us on track, but we ended up playing video games all night…" He sighed. Yusuke laughed out loud.

"So you got nothing done?" He giggled imagining a pissed off ice demon scolding the wind master and Kuwabara while they thumbed furiously at controllers, completely ignoring him and asking for snacks.

"Well I think Okubo managed to study…" He thought. "Toya didn't need to and Jin was just there to cause trouble."

"Which you fed right into." Yusuke put away the food he brought home with him.

"Yeah…" He said in a remorseful tone. "I couldn't help it! My pride as a man was on the line!" Yusuke rolled his eyes while nodding thinking he had heard this one before.

"You still have time before your exams right?" The dark haired man handed the other a drink but didn't wait for an answer. "Why don't I help you study tonight?" Kuwabara gave him a skeptical look.

"I can't help you understand the material but I can at least help you focus on the shit you do understand." He shrugged.

"Sure." Kuwabara chuckled lightly. "Before that, what's for dinner?"

"I thought it was your night." Yusuke cocked his head.

"I came home to your sweaty underwear in our entryway this morning…" He reminded him. Yusuke laughed heartily.

/

"Hey, Urameshi?" Kuwabara stared up at the ceiling from his place in bed.

"Yeah?" Yusuke grabbed a comfortable shirt and started pulling it on.

"Did… did you tell Keiko about us?" He inquired, glancing at the man covering his abs.

"Keiko? Sure I—hmm…" Yusuke paused to think holding his chin between his thumb and forefinger. "You know… I don't think I've talked to Keiko since she came to visit…"

"Seriously? How can you just neglect your childhood friend like that..?" Kuwabara admonished.

"I've been busy." He climbed on top of and straddled the redhead with a smirk.

"I guess I have kept you pretty busy huh?" Kuwabara smiled and wrapped his arms around Yusuke, bringing him down for a kiss.

"What brought this up?" Urameshi nibbled a trail down his neck.

"Ah!" Kuwabara gasped when Yusuke started sucking on his nipple suddenly. "L-later.. talk later." He pleaded, to which Yusuke chuckled and complied.

/

It had been nearly 2 years since he had woken from his coma. Everything seemed to be going rather well. He had two jobs, an apartment he shared with his lover, Yusuke Urameshi was happy. There was just one problem in his otherwise perfect world…

"Yuu-kun, dear you've been stirring that same pot for 20 minutes…" Mother Yukimura stated with concern. "Are you alright?"

"Uh… yeah…" This was the problem…. _When did I get to work?_ He tried to hide the throbbing pain in his head from the older woman.

"I wonder… Could it be love troubles?" She pondered aloud.

"Woman! You can't just say things like that!" Mr. Yukimura chided his wife.

"Well I'm worried dear! After everything with Keiko and he doesn't have a girlfriend!" She stated in hushed tone. Yusuke slapped his aching head.

"Um, I do actually.." He corrected, interrupting the other man's rant about a man's private life. He didn't bother correcting the gender portion of the argument deciding that it might be best to discuss it with Keiko first.

"A girlfriend?" The two adults spun around to look at him amazed then they both grinned happily. "Is it true?" The woman asked teary eyed. Yusuke blushed and nodded not sure what the big deal was.

"Bring her around some time so we can meet her." The older man slung his arm over Yusuke's shoulders and laughed.

"Sure thing." He chuckled lightly not really feeling it.

/

Then one day it happened….

/

A/N: What happened?!


	6. I'm Here

Disclaimer: I own nothing as usual...

A/N: This is what happened... the strange thing that happend... to two weary hunters who lost their waaaaaaaayyyy ...

/

Chapter 6 I'm Here

"Hey Urameshi have you seen my—" Kuwabara walked into the kitchen to see Yusuke holding his head with one hand, leaning against the counter with his other.

"Urameshi?" Kuwabara softly called. As if the mere breath he used to say the name had been a rush of wind, the raven haired man wobbled then, (Kuwabara swore it was in slow motion) fell to his knees.

"Shit! Yusuke?!" He used his given name with out much thought as he rushed towards him. However the brown eyed man collapsed to the floor, unresponsive. "Yusuke?"

/

Blackness… pitch blackness… Yusuke had always thought death would be more…. Colorful…

He opened his eyes.

"Hey man, welcome back!" A gravelly voiced Kuwabara grinned at him. "You've been out for almost a week."

"You gave us quite the scare." Kurama smiled at him.

"Wha…" Yusuke sat up in the futon and rubbed his eye. "Where am I?"

"We're at Genkai's." Kazuma explained.

"What? Gen—shit.." Yusuke could feel his whole body trembling. "What the actual fuck?" He hid his face in his hands. The two red head's shared a concerned look with one another.

"Are you alright?" Kurama inquired.

"No… no I'm not…" Yusuke answered quickly unable to look either man in the eye.

/

"What's the matter with Yusuke?" Keiko asked worriedly.

"Nothing as far as we can tell. He's just not responding anymore." Kurama answered.

"That must have been some dream…" Koenma mused.

"But he was fine before…" Keiko's voice quivered. "He was laughing with all of us! So why.." She sobbed. "Yusuke!" She burst into the room he was sitting listlessly in and shook him. "Yusuke look at me!" He closed his eyes and grimaced, unable to trust himself not to respond to her demands.

"You jerk!" She slapped him across the face. His cheek stung. "Open your eyes damn it and look at me!" Slowly, he cracked his moistened eyes open but they immediately homed in on Kuwabara rather than the woman in front of him.

/

"You're pathetic…" Hiei glared. Yusuke sighed and shifted slightly, he didn't need the fire demon to tell him that… He already knew…

"You still haven't eaten?" Kuwabara entered the room, making Yusuke flinch. The red head sighed and sat down in front of him. "Here." He held out a spoonful of the rice dish that was prepared for him. Hiei gave him a disgusted look then rolled his eyes and left the room.

Whatever.. Yusuke didn't need his approval… he just needed to find a way back. Brown eyes met grey. He needed to find a way back to *him*.

/

"Don't let Hiei bother you.." Kurama picked up a few things off the floor. "He's just upset and trying to goad you into fighting again." He explained.

"Please Yusuke… help us understand. What's gotten you so depressed?" The fox pleaded.

"You wouldn't believe me…" He sighed and pulled a knee to his chest, resting a cheek on it.

"Try me." Kurama didn't want him to stop now though he did want to scold him for staying silent for so long.

/

"So…" Kuwabara shifted uncomfortably, cheeks red as he held out the spoonful of food for Yusuke.

"Kurama told you…" Yusuke sighed then laid down in his futon and turned away from the red head.

"H-Hey! Wait!" Kuwabara's voice cracked. He cleared his throat and rubbed his neck looking around the room nervously. "I mean.. So the reason…" He gestured to the food. "Is for me to be a replacement for the other Kuwabara… right?" He looked a bit like a kicked puppy.

"There is no *other Kuwabara*…." Yusuke growled. "You're not real. I'm dreaming again."

"So wake up!" Kuwabara suddenly retorted.

 _He must be talking to me…_ He realized glancing around then looking down and sitting up to face the other man once more.

"Its not that easy Kuwabara…" He swallowed hard, reminding himself he couldn't really hear him.

"Just wake up already." His friend sounded annoyed.. and tired.

"How am I supposed to do that?!" He shouted, tears freely flowing down his cheeks. "Shit…"

/

One day while wallowing in misery Yusuke thought of something that had happened while he was living with Kuwabara.

"Shit!" Kuwabara shouted in the middle of the night as he fell out of bed, effectively waking up the other sleeping man.

"What the hell?" Yusuke turned a light on and looked at his lover as if he had grown a second head.

"Felt like I was falling in my sleep…" Kuwabara rubbed his back getting back into bed.

"Apparently you were." Yusuke chuckled. "Ya ok?" He yawned.

"Yeah.. but falling out of bed came after I woke up. Like I was falling in my sleep, freaked out, and jumped out of bed."

"And landed on your face." The raven haired man giggled while getting a noogy.

"Falling…." Yusuke stood and got dressed before quietly leaving Genkai's estate.

/

"Urameshi?! What are you doing?!" Kuwabara rushed to him out of breath. A gust of wind blew and the red head shielded his face from the debris it carried with it. He looked to the man standing on the edge of the building's rooftop.

"I'm gonna wake up." He stated calmly though there were tears in his eyes.

"What?" Kuwabara grabbed the dark haired detective. "Stop messing around and—" Yusuke leaned down and kissed the man before him then pushed himself off of his large shoulders, flinging himself off of the building.

"…" Yusuke's mouth moved but Kuwabara was unable to hear his voice. He couldn't hear anything as he moved to grab the other man.

"Yusuke!" As he plummeted to what he hoped wasn't his death, he heard the voice of his lover sob. Hearing such a gut-wrenching cry made his own flood gates burst just before it all went black.

/

Yusuke's eyes snapped open. He gasped for breath, shooting up into a sitting position. Shaking, slowly he looked around.

"Y-Yusuke?" Kuwabara had bolted upright. It was obvious he had been crying.

"Kazuma.." Yusuke panted, using the name he usually saved for bedroom activities. "I'm here." He stated and flung himself at the other man who had began sobbing again, this time happily.

/

"Kuwabara…" Yusuke nearly whimpered in his sleep. The redhead watched him for a moment, when his pained expression hadn't subsided, he reached out and gently stroked his lover's face.

"I'm here…" He whispered quietly. This seemed to do the trick as Yusuke's expression was once more content.

Things like this had happened every so often since then. Yusuke would suddenly cling to Kuwabara or simply wear a distraught expression. When he noticed this Kazuma would softly remind him that he was here for him, that he would always be here for him.

Kuwabara kissed the forehead of the man sleeping next to him.

"I'm right here." He held him close and closed his eyes.

/

Yusuke sighed and furrowed his brow. This sucked. This stupid feeling… this stupid memory of shit that never happened…

"Hey, Yusuke." Kazuma touched the rough hand of his lover, making him lower the menu he was looking at. Brown eyes met grey.

"I'm here." The redhead stated firmly, squeezing his hand tightly, his eyes watching him worriedly. It was then Yusuke realized he had been shaking.

"Yeah…" Yusuke swallowed hard and held onto his hand. "Thanks." He nodded and they released their grip.

"What are you thinking about?" Kuwabara asked, wondering what could make him wear such a face.

"….." Yusuke opened his mouth but the lump in his throat caught the words. "I killed myself." He stated after composing himself again.

"What?!" Kuwabara exclaimed then apologized to the other people in the restaurant for making a scene.

"I…" Yusuke shifted uncomfortably. "I threw myself off a building… to escape my dream." He stated slowly.

"Shit.." Kuwabara covered his mouth with his hand.

"Every so often I'll feel like I'm falling again… my head feels foggy like I'm in a dream…" Yusuke's fingers tangled in his hair. He looked Kuwabara in the eye once more and smiled.

"Then you tell me you're here. The fog lifts and I find my feet firmly planted on the ground." He took his lovers hand in his own.

"Why? How could—" Kuwabara's eyes held tears in them.

"Wake up. Just wake up already." Yusuke repeated the redhead's words pulling his hand closer. "I realized I couldn't live with out you… I didn't *want* to live with out you.." He kissed Kuwabara's hand.

"Yusuke…." The dark haired man leaned forward and kissed his beloved.

"Tell me I won't have to." He sat back down, releasing Kuwabara's hand once more. The taller man looked down at his hand, feeling something linger.

"Y-You..." He blushed brightly, eyes wide at the ring that adorned his finger.

"I thought about waiting until we got home... but the build up there was too perfect to pass up." Yusuke scratched his nose, his cheeks pink as well. Kuwabara chuckled, still in shock. "Will you stay with me?"

"Yes." Kuwabara grinned. A round of applause broke out around them. Apparently people had taken notice of their situation and felt the need to encourage and congratulate them. Both men smiled and blushed sheepishly.

/

"Ryuuji… What do you think you're doing?" A slightly older, raven haired gentleman quirked an eyebrow at the young boy that was climbing up a tree. The boy pointed further out on a branch to a large insect.

"Ah… I see.." He nodded.

"Kazu-tan!" The boy waved excited as Kuwabara approached the two.

"Hey, watch out!" Yusuke shouted as Ryuuji slipped from his perch and fell out of the tree. Thankfully Yusuke was close enough to catch the boy.

"Ryuuji!" Keiko darted toward them. "I told you not to climb—"

"Aw, come on, Keiko. A boy's gotta climb trees." Yusuke chuckled as he set the child down.

"Mommy look at that one!" He pointed at the large insect clinging to the tree. The wide grin on his face calmed her down.

"Thanks for watching him for us guys." She smiled at the two men who gave her a thumbs up.

"No prob!" Yusuke beamed.

"Yeah, the little twerp is no trouble at all." Kuwabara teased, ruffling Ryuuji's hair.

"Come on." Keiko smiled at the boy. "let's go get some ice cream."

"Yeah ice cream!" Yusuke shouted childishly and ran ahead of the gang.

"Hey wait up!" Kuwabara and Ryuuji shouted simultaneously chasing after him. Keiko sighed and shook her head.

/

"You ever think about it?" Kuwabara asked eating his ice cream.

"Hmm?" Yusuke licked the side of his cone that started to melt.

"Kids." Kuwabara stated nonchalantly. Yusuke was quiet for a moment. The redhead glanced over, his eyes catching the ring on one of the fingers that were curled around his frosted treat.

"Sure." Yusuke shrugged and leaned back against the bench they sat on.

"Wha- really?" Kuwabara asked, surprised.

"We've been together for seven years, you really think I haven't consider our future?" Yusuke's tongue ran across the ice cream and Kazuma had remind himself they were in public.

"Well.. I mean.." He sputtered.

"Your ice cream is melting." Yusuke warned.

"Ah! Crap!" The red head quickly ate the rest of his in a few large bites. "Gah!" He held his head. The dark haired man laughed.

/

Kuwabara took his tie off when he walked in the door then took his shoes off.

"I'm home." He called wearily.

"Welcome back Kazu-tan." Yusuke called from the kitchen using the name reserved for their surrogate nephew. Kuwabara made his way to the kitchen and wrapped his arms around his husband from behind.

"What's for dinner?" He looked at the stove. "Omelet rice? Is Ryuuji actually here?" He looked around.

"Nah, I just felt like it." Urameshi shrugged. "Hey, Kazuma…" He leaned his head gently against the other man's.

"I'm here." Kuwabara let him know he had his full attention.

"I think it's time we look at buying a house." He said seriously. "Then once we have the room…" He switched the stove off and turned towards his love. "We can figure out how to go about getting Ryuuji a playmate." He smirked.

Kuwabara grinned and kissed him passionately.

/

"PAPA!" The two year old shouted for the millionth time that hour and Yusuke rubbed his temples longing for the sweet embrace of death.

"Kai…"

"PapAA!" The boy threw himself on the floor.

"What Kai…" Yusuke sighed exhaustedly.

"No!" He whined.

"No what?" The man asked incredulously.

"What happened?" Kuwabara asked when he entered their home.

"Not a damn thing…" Yusuke groaned.

Kuwabara quirked an eyebrow and quickly retrieved a juice box from the fridge. He stuck the straw in the box and held it in front of Kai. The boy took the box and drank from it, quieting down and clinging to the redheads pants leg. Yusuke's eye twitched when his son took the straw out of his mouth just long enough to stick his tongue out at him.

"You spent an hour flipping out over a juice box…" Yusuke groaned loudly and threw himself spread eagle on the floor.

"We talked about this Kai…" Kuwabara scolded gently. "Now you made Papa worry.. I think you should say sorry." He rubbed the back of the boy's head who pouted then stepped forward.

"Sorry Papa.." He said with a puffed cheek and a scowl. Yusuke rolled his eyes.

"Come here ya knucklehead…" A smile tugged at his lips and he held his arms open for a hug. Kai grinned and pounced on him hugging him tightly, unfortunately his knee slammed right between his father's legs.

"Oohh…" Kuwabara whispered with a wince. "Alright now, go play." He told the boy for his husband who unable to speak and the child jogged off to play with his toys.

"It's a good thing we can't have kids anyway…." Yusuke whimpered after a moment. "'Cause after that we wouldn't be having any…" He coughed and Kuwabara laughed lightly.

"Fuck you man…." Yusuke seethed.

"We can do that later if you're not too sore." Kuwabara was still giggling.

/

"Kazuma…" Yusuke didn't look away from his book but the tone in his voice told the taller man all he needed to know.

"I'm here." Kuwabara affirmed and took Yusuke's hand in his own, squeezing gently.

"Kazu-tan…" Even though Ryuuji was older now he still used the childish suffix. He was laying with his 5 year old cousin on the floor while watching tv.

"Yeah?" He cocked his head in the boys' direction.

"Why do you do that?" He asked innocently.

"Do what?" The redhead asked confused.

"You tell Uncle Yuu you're here like he doesn't know." He had noticed. The younger boy looked back toward his parents, curious, but quiet.

"Its… a long story…" Kuwabara rubbed the back of his head.

"And it starts with me kicking Kazu-tan's ass!" Yusuke interrupted excitedly with a grin. "For the what…" He paused thinking.

"156th time…" Kazuma groaned embarrassed. "Most of those were cheap shots Urameshi. No way you'd beat me that many times in a fair fight!"

"Yeah, yeah.." Yusuke waved a hand to dismiss him. To think, just a decade ago they would have been rolling around on the floor wrestling to prove the other wrong.. Now they had responsibilities. Now they had two sets of eyes brimming with anticipation for the rest of the story. Yusuke chuckled and continued with his tale…

A/N: The end. let me know what you think! Thank you for reading!


End file.
